Kylian Mbappe appears set to join Real Madrid this summer from PSG despite consistent links to Liverpool, and the reason behind the striker's decision has been revealed.
Although recent interest from Arsenal has emerged, Liverpool have been the only Premier League side to be consistently linked with the PSG star but the potential signing now looks to have passed them by.
It was confirmed by a number of outlets that Mbappe would be leaving PSG at the end of the season, and whilst his destination is not yet confirmed it seems unlikely he won't end up at Madrid.
Liverpool as a club have been thrown into a period of uncertainty following Jurgen Klopp's decision to leave the club at the end of the season. However, french football expert Julien Laurens told talkSPORT it was also another issue that cost the club the signing of Mbappe.
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“It’s a good question (Could Mbappe have signed for Liverpool) I think there was probably a chance at some point," Laurens explained
“But this is nothing bad on the Premier League, the fact they could not attract him, because the fact is Real Madrid was always the club he wanted to play for.
“When Kylian Mbappe was a kid he learned Spanish at school, and when you asked him why he would say it was for the day he’d be unveiled at the Bernabeu as a Real Madrid player. The drive and the ambition of the kid was something else," He revealed.
“However, the fact that Klopp was leaving and announced his departure, while Carlo Ancelotti is staying at Real Madrid - the uncertainty at Liverpool, who is going to be the manager next season, is Mo Salah still going to be there worked against them."
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Despite this seeming like damning news for Liverpool fans, Laurens explained it would have been an almost impossible task to field a side with both Salah and Mbappe.
“I don't think they could have signed Mbappe with Salah still in the squad they don’t have the money," He added.
“If Mo Salah leaves, then it’s a different story, but then Kylian would not have waited to see if Salah was staying or leaving, so I think the timing was not right.
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“And that’s not to say he might not come to Liverpool one day, because it is a club he really likes.”
Topics: Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Premier League, Jurgen Klopp, Mohamed Salah, Paris Saint-Germain